Lone Wolves
by ShindaSekai
Summary: Ten years, after Link defeated Ganondorf and Zelda sent Link back to his childhood, Sheik has found no real purpose in life. Wandering through the woods, he encounters a wolf bearing a secret, which Sheik is about to find out. LinkxMale!Sheik oneshot


They still had not crossed boundaries.

For hours they had been staring at each other from a safe distance; an invisible line that separated their distinct territories. Sheik had not dared to turn his back on the wild animal for he knew how quickly he could risk his life if he made a wrong move. The wolf on the other side was slowly walking up and down the undrawn threshold, its gaze focused on the slim human figure vis-à-vis. Sheik shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. As long as the animal was watching him he was not able to leave the tree he was sitting on. The wolf was hungry and Sheik probably part of its dinner.

The wolf suddenly stood still and lifted its head. Its eyes stared directly at Sheik and the blonde felt a little shiver running down his spine. So this was the same wolf that had broken into the small town looking for food. By taking a closer look, he realised how strange these brilliant blue eyes appeared. For a moment he thought they looked kind of familiar but he immediately shrugged the thought off.

Another hour passed and Sheik's stomach suddenly started rumbling, reminding him that he had not eaten anything all day. The wolf had trotted off a few metres and was lying on the ground, head propped up on its front legs. It was no longer staring at Sheik, only gave him a few glances every now and then. Sheik decided he could not possibly stay on this tree forever, considering the fact that he was hungry and his bottom was already hurting from sitting on the knobby branch. He grasped his short sword tighter and quietly started climbing down, never losing sight of the furry grey beast. When his feet touched the ground he held his breath for a moment.

Nothing happened. A mild late-summer breeze blew softly through his hair and played with the leaves on the ground, causing them to dance and swirl around his feet. And then he took his chance and started walking away calmly in order to avoid calling attention to himself. The wolf did not follow him.

He sighed deeply when he reached the river. Wolves were rarely seen in this region and he wondered where it came from. It must have walked all the way from the mountains to this very forest. He sat down on the waterside after reassuring him he was still alone, took off his boots and let his feet dangle into the cool and fresh water.

The fire before Sheik's feet crackled and spit flames into every direction. They reached up to touch the fishes and painted the glistening silvery skin black and brown. Sheik removed the branch with the first fish and popped a piece of the grilled flesh into his mouth. Nodding approvingly he ate it up and was about to reach out for the second fish when he suddenly noticed he was no longer alone. A pair of blue eyes was watching him from across the fire and he jumped to his feet, startled about the sudden emergence of an intruder. The wolf did not move closer. It sat down and let out a seemingly helpless whimper. Sheik raised an eyebrow, took one of the fishes and carefully threw it in front of the wolf's feet. The beast devoured the offered food within a few minutes and Sheik noticed how its furry tail suddenly moved, wagging out of joy. He could not help but laugh. The tension that had been building up since this morning was slowly wearing off. He offered another fish to the hungry wolf which the latter happily accepted and approached the animal. It was a beautiful specimen. The bright blue eyes fit well into the massive head with the unusual markings and the grey fur looked irresistibly soft. Sheik instinctively reached out to touch it. The wolf tilted its head to the side when it felt Sheik's hand caress its fur but it did not move otherwise. The blonde smiled. He knew this wolf was no threat to him and he allowed it to stay. A little company every now and then certainly could not cause any harm.

During the following days, Sheik accustomed himself to his newly found companion. At daytime they would hunt together and when nightfall came, Sheik lit a fire and the wolf lied down next to him. The Sheikah, who had left his past behind and had fled from civilisation, enjoyed the silence of the clear night. He tightened the blanket around his body when a cold wind blew. Autumn was reaching out its long, cold fingers to embrace the trees and let them prepare for winter. Sheik shivered slightly and watched the wolf. At least it did not have to worry since its thick fur protected it against the cold. He patted its head and sighed. "You probably won't get cold this night, will you?" The wolf gave him a glance, then moved closer and laid down right beside the blonde, head resting on his leg. Sheik sighed soundlessly and let his fingers run through the soft fur. The weight and the warmth of the head on his leg, the feeling of being with someone after a long time of solitude, all of this suddenly seemed extremely comfortable. They stayed like this for a little while, until the fire died down and only the extant glow provided the last bit of warmth. Sheik gently pushed the wolf's head away from his leg -earning a disapproving moan- and tried to get into a lying position. The ground was hard and cold but he eventually managed to drift off into a light slumber.

Every morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone through the treetops, Sheik woke with a warming body against his own and every night, when the fire had died down, he snuggled up to the very same body. Sometimes, when the everlasting silence seemed unbearable, Sheik would tell his companion about his past, although he knew that he could never get an answer. And sometimes, when the wolf was not by his side, he could hear it howling at the moon somewhere around. Sheik had been thinking about returning to his village and the few people of his tribe for his own sake, but then again he had to admit that he was afraid to do so. He had led another live already before this one and although there had been a few happy moments, he would rather not think about it too much.

When the princess of Hyrule, Zelda, had sent him back to his childhood, he had been supposed to forget everything that had happened until that day, but strangely enough his memories had stayed with him. He had become an adult, trapped in a boy's body and many pictures, a boy of his age should have never been allowed to see, remained in his head. And between all the pain and blood he had seen, there was yet another picture: one that would never vanish. The image of a young hero clad in a green tunic with the master sword in his hand, stained with blood of the ones he defeated. His sad blue eyes in a moment of helplessness and loneliness. Sheik's desire to pull away the cloth covering the lower part of his face and to kiss Link's irresistible lips.

The noise of small branches broken under the weight of someone's footsteps jerked him out of his thoughts. He lifted his head and his eyes met those of the wolf. For a moment, he felt his heart jump in his chest and he couldn't stop starring into the sapphire orbs. There was something about these eyes that had been confusing him since the first time he saw them. Something familiar and knowing, as if they wanted to tell him something. Something he might but never should have forgotten. "I'm sorry," he murmured, though he didn't really mean to say it aloud. The wolf sat down beside him and nuzzled his arm gently. Sheik smiled and ruffled its fur, receiving a wet kiss on his cheek in return. He chuckled and pushed it off. "Stop that, I don't want your microbes on my face."

As they sat together like this and enjoyed the silence of the night, each one seemingly lost in their thoughts, they didn't notice how the sky darkened a mere metres away from them. It was only when three shadow beasts approached their campfire that Sheik sensed the danger they were in. The wolf bared it's teeth and growled warningly. Sheik pulled out his sword and moved away from the fire. Never before had he seen any creatures like these. Their faces were covered by black masks, their skin made of shadows. The hair floated in the air like tentacles of anemones inside water and their faceless heads slowly moved from one side to the other in unison. They seemed slow and a little lame but as soon as they attacked, Sheik learned that the first impression could be deceiving. Behind him, the grey wolf suddenly rushed forward and jumped at one of the creatures. The shadow beast let out a cry of surprise and pain when the wolf buried its teeth into the black throat. It waved about its long arms and tried to push the smaller animal away from its body. A few metres away, Sheik fought against another beast and tried to avoid the attacks of the third creature. For the first time after a long time, Sheik wished he was the fighter he used to be in his former life. After Ganondorf was defeated, he swore to himself that never again, he wanted to be the person he once was. He had learned to defend himself but he no longer was the killer who sought revenge. From the corner of his eye, he saw how the first beast fell and remained motionless on the ground. His sword touched the forearm of his enemy but left nothing more than a scratch.

The Sheikah noticed the threat from behind a second too late. He got swept away by the third attacker and landed with his back on the hard ground. A painful moan escaped his lips and he tried to move, to get away before the next blow but the fall had paralysed him a little too long. The wolf angrily jumped at Sheik's attacker and held it off. Sheik availed himself of the advantage and swiftly got back on his feet.

The combat did not last much longer. The wolf was fighting like a killing machine with fangs and claws buried into the black flesh and did not even seem to notice the hard blows it received. After a few minutes, it was over. Sheik stared at the corpses and the black blood that dripped out of the open wounds. An unpleasant smell filled the night air and he quickly covered his nose with the back of his hand.

The cut on the wolf's side was quite deep. The grey fur was stained with black and red blood and the wolf whimpered when Sheik touched the wounded body part. "This does not look too good," he murmured, "stay here, I will fetch some water to clean your wound. Do not move!" He quickly got up again and headed for the river. He hoped he would be able to stop the bleeding and clean the wound or else it could become badly infected and Sheik did not have the possibility to get help from somewhere else.

When he came back, the wolf was gone. He stared at the spot where he had left it and cursed slightly. However, he knew it could not have walked far and the bloodstains on the ground gave away where it had gone too. He followed the trail of blood until he saw a silhouette lying in the shadow of a tree. While stepping closer, he almost dropped the bowl of water. What lay before him was not the animal he had expected to find; it was a human. He knelt down and cautiously touched the naked shoulder. As the man turned around to reveal his face, Sheik stared into a pair of sapphire eyes - the same eyes he had seen only a few hours ago. He had never been mistaken. He _had_ known these eyes all along. "Link," he whispered.

Link sat up a little clumsily and touched his bandaged wound with a single finger. "Thank you," he said, "Sheik." Sheik's eyes widened a little. So he was not the only one who could remember everything he was supposed to have forgotten.

"Do you remember?" he asked.

"Every single bit," Link answered. "Did Zelda not say we would forget everything that happened?"

"Yes, she did. Something must have gone wrong." He paused for a moment. "What happened to you Link? That wolf...that was you, right?"

Link nodded. "Those beasts that attacked us appeared one day in the woods that surround the small village of Ordon. I was out for a ride with Epona when they suddenly emerged from the sky. Epona reared and I fell down. Before I could defend myself they dragged me through some kind of...black wall. I lost consciousness and when I woke up again, they were gone and I was a wolf. I ran back to my village as fast as I could but of course no one recognized me. I was foolish to go back, I almost got killed." He grimaced. Sheik took his blanket and handed it over to him.

"Here, take this or you will be cold." He blushed a little when his gaze fell onto Link's naked body and he quickly looked away. His feelings were still the same, nothing had changed. Even after ten long years, the Hylian managed to make his heart flutter.

"Do you regret remembering what happened back then?" Sheik looked back at him. "Sometimes I do. Sometimes I do not."

"I have no regrets," Link admitted. "Where have you been all these times, Sheik? I tried to find you many times," he added a little sheepishly.

"I was everywhere and nowhere at the same time I guess," the Sheikah answered, "I never knew how to live my life."

"You would be a good dog keeper," Link said, grinning widely. "You know how to make a wolf feel good."

Sheik stared at him and blushed deeply. Suddenly he felt really hot and his cheeks turned another, deeper shade of red when he remembered having snuggled up to the warm, furry body at night. If only he had known!

"I did not know it was you," he murmured.

"If you had known, would you not have stayed with me?"

"What...Link, why are you asking all these questions?" It was quite obvious that Link had caught him and that he felt utterly uncomfortable.

"I am sorry." He reached out a hand and touched Sheik's bare cheek.

Many things had changed during these ten years. Sheik no longer was the same determined fighter and Link finally had had the chance to develop in a normal way. He no longer was a child in an adult's body; he _was_ an adult.

Link's hand felt warm against his cheek and Sheik instinctively leaned into the touch. He sensed that their awkward game of hide-and-seek was finally over. Link was an open book; no longer did he try to deny or conceal his feelings. His lips were warm and soft as they were pushed onto Sheik's and he reached out for his hand, letting their fingers entwine.

That night, it was Sheik who warmed Link's shivering body with his own, holding him tightly under the blanket. After all, he did not regret remembering his past. And certainly he did not regret saving a lone wolf from solitude.

In the end, they had crossed boundaries.


End file.
